Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I do not believe it is illegal but if we allow the bulk of the initial submissions on development plans to concentrate on zoning, we will not be able to have the strategic discussion which is crucial to creating a decent plan.

To respond to Deputy Tuffy's claims, we are not banning submissions on rezoning. We are providing that the strategic issues shall be addressed at an early stage of the development process. It is not about Mary Mac's 1.5 acres on the edge of the town. It is about the future of the town. I do not want planners to face piles of papers dealing with rezoning decisions in the early stages when they should be deciding where the jobs, sewers, roads, schools and health clinics should go. I want these strategic issues to be addressed at an early stage of the planning process rather than having the local authority be swamped with detailed submissions on rezoning from the get-go.

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